1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method and an apparatus for controlling drives coupled to a computer system.
2. Description of the Related Art
Various portable lap-top type personal computers which can be driven by batteries have recently been developed. These personal computers each include a magnetic recording device such as a floppy disk drive and a hard disk drive.
In order to advance the system of such a lap-top type personal computer, a magnetic recording device such as a floppy disk drive and a hard disk drive is externally set. Since, therefore, the externally-set magnetic recording device needs to be coupled to the body of the personal computer, the characteristics of the lap-top type computer, such as miniaturization, lightness and portability are lost. Since a connecter and a cable are used to couple the externally-set magnetic recording device to the body of the personal computer, the manufacturing cost of the computer increases and the reliability thereof decreases.
In a conventional computer including a hard disk drive, the hard disk drive is inherent in the computer and fixed therein, Information stored in the hard disk drive cannot be utilized directly by another computer.
When an externally-set hard disk drive is coupled to the body of a computer, it cannot be access-controlled when necessary since there is neither a device capable of accessing the externally-set hard disk drive in place of an internally-set hard disk drive nor a device capable of accessing the externally-set hard disk drive in addition to the internally-set hard disk drive.
In a computer to which an externally-set hard disk drive can be coupled, programs, data and the like must be stored beforehand in the computer system in order to display a pop-up menu including information on the externally-set hard disk drive.
Consequently, devices capable of controlling an externally-set device coupled to a personal computer according to their purpose of usage, are demanded.